List of African Heads of State who attended Africa Climate Summit
The Africa Climate Summit comes to a close today, Wednesday, September 6, 2023, after a three-day conference at the Kenyatta International Convention Centre (KICC).
The inaugural Africa Climate Summit aimed to address the increasing exposure to climate change and its associated costs, both globally and particularly in Africa.
The summit was attended by 17 African Heads of State and Government who agreed to lead the way in finding sustainable solutions to the climate crisis.
The leaders observed that climate change and Africa’s development are tightly tied and cannot be ignored.
The Heads of State and Government who attended the summit include Samia Suluhu (Tanzania), Paul Kagame (Rwanda), Évariste Ndayishimiye (Burundi), Filipe Nyusi (Mozambique), Salva Kiir (South Sudan), Sassou Nguesso (Congo), Mostafa Madbouly (Egypt), Nana Akufo-Addo (Ghana), Mohamed Younis Menfi (Libya), Julius Maada (Sierra Leone), Sahle-Work Zewde (Ethiopia), Brahim Ghali (Sahrawi), Azali Assoumani (Comoros), Ismaïl Omar Guelleh (Djibouti), Isaias Afwerki (Eritrea) and Macky Sall (Senegal).
Speaking during the summit, the host President William Ruto said overcoming the climate change challenge will require concerted efforts from all players and nations.
“We cannot pursue climate action through insular, solitary policies. Global warming cannot be mitigated by air-conditioning our little pockets and corners of the world,” Ruto said.
President Ruto called for a paradigm shift in the allocation of global climate change funds.
He said that in the past, these funds often went to those who did not require them, neglecting genuine cases.
“There is a need to have a conversation about a carbon tax to raise resources to finance Africa’s development.”
He insisted that Africa will cease the various green opportunities presented by global climate change action plans.
Other leaders who attended the Africa Climate Summit include Chairperson of the African Union Commission Moussa Faki Mahamat, President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen, Secretary-General, United Nations António Guterres and the African Development Bank President Akinwumi Adesina.
